MPI-I-1999-2-005

We investigate the structures and above all, the applications of a class of symmetric groups induced by logic programs. After establishing the relationships between minimal models of logic programs and their simplified forms, and models of their completions, we show that in general when deriving negative information, we can apply the CWA, the GCWA, and the completion procedure directly from some simplified forms of the original logic programs. The least models and the results of SLD-resolution stay invariant for definite logic programs and their simplified forms. The results of SLDNF-resolution, the standard or perfect models stay invariant for hierarchical, stratified logic programs and some of their simplified forms, respectively. We introduce a new proposal to derive negative information termed OCWA, as well as the new concepts of quasi-definite, quasi-hierarchical and quasi-stratified logic programs. We also propose semantics for them.